Although there is no strong evidence that reducing animal dander in
your home will reduce symptoms of asthma or allergy, the following steps may be
helpful.

Keep your pet outside of the house or at least
out of your bedroom. Keep your pet in areas of the home that have hard floors
that are easier to clean than carpeted floors.

At least once a
week, clean birdcages, rodent cages, or areas where pets
sleep.

Dust and vacuum often. If you can, do this when the person
who has an allergy or asthma is not at home. Use a static cloth for dusting,
and use a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which helps
keep dust off carpets and floors and out of the air.

Keep air
registers closed if you have a pet. This will reduce the amount of animal
dander moving through the house. If this isn't possible, close the register
only in the room in which you want to reduce the dander.

Do not
allow your pet on carpets or upholstered furniture.

Wash regularly
any rugs, pillows, pet beds, or other items the pet has contact with.

People who are allergic to small rodents, such as mice or gerbils,
can sometimes be allergic to a substance in the animal's urine as well as its
dander. If you are allergic, have other family members clean the litter box. Or
keep your pets outside your home in a garage or shed.

Consider finding your pet a new home if your symptoms are severe. You
will have to think about how important your pets are to you versus how bad your
allergy symptoms are. You will also have to think about how happy or well-behaved
a pet will be if it is kept outdoors and away from you.

Even after you remove a pet, it may take many months before the
change has a noticeable effect. You may also need to remove items that the pet
slept on or was often around.

Adults spend one-third of their time and children spend half
of their time in their bedrooms, so it is important that you take steps to prevent
allergens in this room.

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